System for controlling marine craft with steerable propellers

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for use with a marine vessel having a first steerable propeller and a second steerable propeller is disclosed. The apparatus and method providing for movement of the first and second steerable propellers relative to each other and also maintains a minimum distance between the first and second steerable propellers so as to prevent the first and second steerable from contacting each other. Also disclosed is a control system and method to control the first steerable propeller and the second steerable propeller to provide the fixed distance between the first and second steerable propellers and so as to individually control the first steerable propeller and the second steerable propellers to allow the first steerable propeller and the second steerable propeller to move relative to each other.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority under 35U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/241,192 titled“SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING MARINE CRAFT WITH STEERABLE PROPELLERS,” filedSep. 22, 2011, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 61/385,526 filed on Sep. 22, 2010, and also claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/453,936, filed on Mar. 17,2011, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to marine vessel propulsion and controlsystems. More particularly, aspects of the disclosure relate to methodsand devices for controlling and allowing marine vessel steering drivesto move freely with respect to each other but to also prevent suchsteering drives from colliding.

BACKGROUND

Various forms of propulsion have been used to propel marine vessels overor through the water. One type of propulsion system comprises a primemover, such as an engine or a turbine, which converts energy into arotation that is transferred to one or more propellers having blades incontact with the surrounding water. The rotational energy in a propelleris transferred by contoured surfaces of the propeller blades into aforce or “thrust” which propels the marine vessel. As the propellerblades push water in one direction, thrust and vessel motion aregenerated in the opposite direction. Many shapes and geometries forpropeller-type propulsion systems are known.

Other marine vessel propulsion systems utilize waterjet propulsion toachieve similar results. Such devices include a pump, a water inlet orsuction port and an exit or discharge port, which generate a waterjetstream that propels the marine vessel. The waterjet stream may bedeflected using a “deflector” to provide marine vessel control byredirecting some waterjet stream thrust in a suitable direction and in asuitable amount.

A requirement for safe and useful operation of marine vessels is theability to steer the vessel from side to side. Some systems, commonlyused with propeller-driven vessels, employ “rudders” for this purpose.Other systems for steering marine vessels, commonly used inwaterjet-propelled vessels, rotate the exit or discharge nozzle of thewaterjet stream from one side to another. Such a nozzle is sometimesreferred to as a “steering nozzle.” Hydraulic actuators may be used torotate an articulated steering nozzle so that the aft end of the marinevessel experiences a sideways thrust in addition to any forward orbacking force of the waterjet stream. The reaction of the marine vesselto the side-to-side movement of the steering nozzle will be inaccordance with the laws of motion and conservation of momentumprinciples, and will depend on the dynamics of the marine vessel design.

It is understood that while particular control surfaces are primarilydesigned to provide force or motion in a particular direction, thesesurfaces often also provide forces in other directions as well.Nonetheless, those skilled in the art appreciate that certain controlsurfaces and control and steering devices have a primary purpose todevelop force or thrust along a particular axis. For example, in thecase of a reversing deflector, it is the backing direction in whichthrust is provided. Similarly, a rudder is intended to develop force atthe stern portion of the vessel primarily in a side-to-side or athwartships direction, even if collateral forces are developed in otherdirections. Thus, net force imparted to a marine vessel should be viewedas a vector sum process, where net or resultant force is generally thegoal, and other smaller components thereof may be generated in otherdirections at the same time.

As noted above, a class of marine craft is propelled by multiplesteerable propeller drives. FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate various views of astern/out drive that can be used in combination and FIGS. 1D-1Eillustrate various views of a surface drive 111 that can be used incombination as outboard motors. As these terms may be usedinterchangeably herein, the use of one term shall not imply that thescope of this disclosure is limited to one specific type of drive. Thescope of this disclosure includes twin-drive systems, as well as systemscomprising more than two drives. A quad-arrangement employing fourdrives, wherein a pair of drives is installed on each of two hulls of acatamaran hull form, is but one example of a system that can benefitfrom this disclosure.

A notional single-drive system is depicted in FIGS. 2A-2B, and anotional twin-drive system is shown in FIGS. 2C-2D. The twin-drivesystem illustrated in FIGS. 2C-2D comprise a port stern drive 205 andstarboard stern drive 206 and a mechanical link known as a tie-bar 207.The primary purpose of the tie bar 207 is to prevent the closely-spaceddrives 205, 206 from colliding into each other in order to avoid damageto the craft or injury or death to persons onboard.

Referring to FIGS. 3A-3B, in systems employing surface drives orventilating propellers, the propellers 310, 311, 314 and 315 can bepartially submerged for varying amounts of time, during which time thepropellers can develop substantial lateral (athwartships) and verticalforces. In multiple-drive installations of this kind, the rotation ofthe at least two of the propellers typically opposes each other. When atie bar is used in these installations, a substantial net force isexerted on the tie-bar due to the substantially equal and oppositelateral forces generated by the propellers. For example, as shown inFIG. 3A, tie bar 312 undergoes outward tension 313 when the propellers310, 311 are outboard rotating; also as shown in FIG. 3B, tie bar 316undergoes compression forces 317 if the propellers 314, 315 are inboardrotating. By virtue of the tie-bar connection, the lateral forces aresubstantially cancelled out and the steering drives are not subjected toany significant load associated with the lateral force component of thepartially submerged propellers.

In view of the above discussion, and in view of other considerationsrelating to design and operation of marine vessels, it is desirable tohave a marine vessel control system which can provide thrust forces in aplurality of directions, and which can control thrust forces in a safeand efficient manner.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One embodiment of the disclosure comprises an apparatus to be used witha marine vessel comprising a first steerable drive and a secondsteerable drive, the apparatus comprising a device, to be connected tothe first steerable drive and to the second steerable drive, thatprovides for movement of the first and second steerable drives relativeto each other and that also maintains a minimum distance between thefirst and second steerable drives so as to prevent the first and secondsteerable from contacting each other.

One embodiment of the apparatus comprises a telescoping concentric tubeassembly having a mechanical stop. Another embodiment comprises asliding bar arrangement having a mechanical stop. Another embodimentcomprises a first guard to be connected to the first steerable drive anda second guard to be coupled to the second steerable drive. Stillanother embodiment comprises an adaptive tie bar arrangement having aconfigurable length that can be controlled to allow movement of thefirst steerable drive and the second steerable drive with respect toeach other and that also can be controlled to provide a fixed distancebetween the first and second steerable drives. It is to be appreciatedthat any of the embodiments can be used either alone or in combination.

According to aspects of the disclosure, the adaptive tie bar arrangementcan be any of a controllable mechanical locking device, a hydrauliclocking device, and an electromechanical locking device. It is to beappreciated that any of these aspects can be used either alone or incombination with any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to receive at least a first vesselcontrol signal corresponding to any of a rotational movement command, atranslational movement command, and a combination of a rotationalmovement and a translational movement command, and configured togenerate at least a first steerable drive actuator control signal and asecond steerable drive actuator control signal, and a first trimactuator control signal and a second trim actuator control signal. Theprocessor is also configured to control the first steerable drive andthe second steerable drive to provide a fixed distance between the firstand second steerable drives when the first and second steerable drivesare partially submerged, and so as to individually control the firststeerable drive and the second steerable drives and allow the firststeerable drive and the second steerable drive to move relative to eachother when the first and second steerable drives are substantiallysubmerged. It is to be appreciated the processor can be used with any ofthe embodiments and aspects disclosed herein.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to provide the first steerable driveactuator control signal, the second steerable drive actuator controlsignal, the first trim actuator control signal and the second trimactuator control signal so as to provide opposite forces with the firstand second steerable drives by providing a forward thrust with the firststeerable drive and a reverse thrust with the second steerable drive soas to create rotational forces on the marine vessel with substantiallyno translational forces on the marine vessel. It is to be appreciatedthe processor can be used with any of the embodiments and aspectsdisclosed herein.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to provide the first steerable driveactuator control signal, the second steerable drive actuator controlsignal, the first trim actuator control signal and the second trimactuator control signal so as to induce a net translational force to themarine vessel so that substantially no net rotational force is inducedto the marine vessel, in response to the first vessel control signalthat corresponds to only a translational thrust command and a zerorotational thrust command; and induce a net force to the marine vesselsubstantially in a direction of the first vessel control signal thatcorresponds to a combination of a translational thrust command and arotational thrust command, for all combinations of the rotational andtranslational thrust commands. It is to be appreciated the processor canbe used with any of the embodiments and aspects disclosed herein.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to provide the first steerable driveactuator control signal, the second steerable drive actuator controlsignal, the first trim actuator control signal and the second trimactuator control signal so as to induce a net translational force to themarine vessel so that substantially no net rotational force is inducedto the marine vessel, in response to the first vessel control signalthat corresponds to only a translational thrust command and a zerorotational thrust command; induce a net force to the marine vesselsubstantially in a direction of the first vessel control signal thatcorresponds to a combination of a translational thrust command and arotational thrust command, for all combinations of the rotational andtranslational thrust commands; and further so as to control the firststeerable drive and the second steerable drive to create a differentialthrust between the first steerable drive and the second steerable driveto induce the net rotational force to the marine vessel. It is to beappreciated the processor can be used with any of the embodiments andaspects disclosed herein.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to provide the first steerable driveactuator control signal, the second steerable drive actuator controlsignal, the first trim actuator control signal and the second trimactuator control signal so as to induce a net transverse thrust to themarine vessel without substantially inducing any forward-reverse thrustor rotational thrust to the marine vessel in response to the firstvessel control signal that corresponds to only a transverse thrustcommand; induce a net forward-reverse thrust to the marine vesselwithout substantially inducing any transverse thrust or rotationalthrust to the marine vessel in response to the first vessel controlsignal that corresponds to only a forward-reverse thrust command; andinduce a net rotational thrust to the marine vessel withoutsubstantially inducing any forward-reverse thrust or transverse thrustto the marine vessel, in response the first vessel control signal thatcorresponds to only a rotational thrust command. It is to be appreciatedthe processor can be used with any of the embodiments and aspectsdisclosed herein.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to provide the first steerable driveactuator control signal, the second steerable drive actuator controlsignal, the first trim actuator control signal and the second trimactuator control signal so as to induce a net translational force to themarine vessel so that substantially no net rotational force is inducedto the marine vessel in response to the first vessel control signalresulting from movement of a first vessel control apparatus along twodegrees of freedom and with a second vessel control apparatus in aneutral position; and to induce a net force to the marine vessel, inresponse to the first vessel control signal, substantially in a samedirection as a combination of movement of the first vessel controlapparatus and the second vessel control apparatus, for all movements ofthe first vessel control apparatus along the two degrees of freedom andfor all movements of the second vessel control apparatus along the thirddegree of freedom. It is to be appreciated the processor can be usedwith any of the embodiments and aspects disclosed herein.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to provide the first steerable driveactuator control signal, the second steerable drive actuator controlsignal, the first trim actuator control signal and the second trimactuator control signal so as to create a differential thrust betweenthe first steerable drive and the second steerable drive so as to inducethe net rotational thrust to the marine vessel, without substantiallyinducing any forward-reverse thrust or transverse thrust to the marinevessel, in response the first vessel control signal that corresponds toonly a rotational thrust command. It is to be appreciated the processorcan be used with any of the embodiments and aspects disclosed herein.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to provide the first steerable driveactuator control signal, the second steerable drive actuator controlsignal, the first trim actuator control signal and the second trimactuator control signal so as to provide opposite forces with the firstand second steerable drives by providing a forward thrust with the firststeerable drive and a reverse thrust with the second steerable drive soas to create rotational forces on the marine vessel with substantiallyno translational forces on the marine vessel. It is to be appreciatedthe processor can be used with any of the embodiments and aspectsdisclosed herein.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to flip the first steerable driveactuator control signal, the second steerable drive actuator controlsignal, the first trim actuator control signal and the second trimactuator control signal in response to the first vessel control signalthat corresponds to a full astern control command from the first vesselcontrol signal that corresponds to a full ahead control command. It isto be appreciated the processor can be used with any of the embodimentsand aspects disclosed herein.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the apparatus furthercomprises a processor configured to induce a net translational force tothe marine vessel in response to the first vessel control signalcomprising only the translational thrust command and a zero rotationalthrust command, so that substantially no net rotational force is inducedto the marine vessel; to induce a net force to the marine vessel, inresponse to the first vessel control signal comprising a combination ofthe translational thrust command and the rotational thrust command,substantially in a direction of a combination of the translationalthrust command and the rotational thrust command for all combinations ofthe rotational and translational thrust commands; and to flip the firststeerable drive actuator control signal, the second steerable driveactuator control signal, the first trim actuator control signal and thesecond trim actuator control signal in response to the first vesselcontrol signal that corresponds to a full astern control command fromthe first vessel control signal that corresponds to a full ahead controlcommand. It is to be appreciated the processor can be used with any ofthe embodiments and aspects disclosed herein.

According to one embodiment, a method for controlling a marine vesselhaving a first steerable drive and a second steerable comprisesproviding a device to be connected the first steerable drive and to thesecond steerable drive that provides for movement of the first andsecond steerable drives relative to each other and that also maintains aminimum distance between the first and second steerable drives so as toprevent the first and second steerable from contacting each other.

One embodiment of the method comprises providing a telescopingconcentric tube assembly having a mechanical stop. Another embodimentcomprises providing a sliding bar arrangement having a mechanical stop.Another embodiment comprises providing a first guard to be connected tothe first steerable drive and a second guard to be connected to thesecond steerable drive. Still another embodiment comprises providing anadaptive tie bar arrangement having a configurable length that can becontrolled to allow movement of the first steerable drive and the secondsteerable drive with respect to each other and that also can becontrolled to provide a fixed distance between the first and secondsteerable drives. It is to be appreciated that any of the embodimentscan be used either alone or in combination.

Aspects of the disclosure include providing the adaptive tie bararrangement as any of a controllable mechanical locking device, ahydraulic locking device, and an electromechanical locking device. It isto be appreciated that any of these aspects can be used either alone orin combination with any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

One embodiment of the disclosure further comprises controlling the firststeerable drive and the second steerable drive to provide a fixeddistance between the first and second steerable drives when the firstand second steerable drives are partially submerged, and so as toindividually control the first steerable drive and the second steerabledrives and allow the first steerable drive and the second steerabledrive to move relative to each other when the first and second steerabledrives are substantially submerged. It is to be appreciated that thiscan be done with any of the embodiments and aspects disclosed herein.

Another embodiment of the disclosure further comprises providingopposite forces with the first and second steerable drives by providinga forward thrust with the first steerable drive and a reverse thrustwith the second steerable drive so as to create rotational forces on themarine vessel with substantially no translational forces on the marinevessel. It is to be appreciated that this can be done with any of theembodiments and aspects disclosed herein.

Another embodiment of the disclosure further comprises inducing a nettranslational force to the marine vessel so that substantially no netrotational force is induced to the marine vessel, in response to thefirst vessel control signal that corresponds to only a translationalthrust command and a zero rotational thrust command; and inducing a netforce to the marine vessel substantially in a direction of the firstvessel control signal that corresponds to a combination of atranslational thrust command and a rotational thrust command, for allcombinations of the rotational and translational thrust commands. It isto be appreciated that this can be done with any of the embodiments andaspects disclosed herein.

Another embodiment of the disclosure further comprises inducing a nettranslational force to the marine vessel so that substantially no netrotational force is induced to the marine vessel, in response to thefirst vessel control signal that corresponds to only a translationalthrust command and a zero rotational thrust command; inducing a netforce to the marine vessel substantially in a direction of the firstvessel control signal that corresponds to a combination of atranslational thrust command and a rotational thrust command, for allcombinations of the rotational and translational thrust commands; andcontrolling the first steerable drive and the second steerable drive tocreate a differential thrust between the first steerable drive and thesecond steerable drive to induce the net rotational force to the marinevessel. It is to be appreciated that this can be done with any of theembodiments and aspects disclosed herein.

Another embodiment of the disclosure further comprises inducing a nettransverse thrust to the marine vessel without substantially inducingany forward-reverse thrust or rotational thrust to the marine vessel inresponse to the first vessel control signal that corresponds to only atransverse thrust command; inducing a net forward-reverse thrust to themarine vessel without substantially inducing any transverse thrust orrotational thrust to the marine vessel in response to the first vesselcontrol signal that corresponds to only a forward-reverse thrustcommand; and inducing a net rotational thrust to the marine vesselwithout substantially inducing any forward-reverse thrust or transversethrust to the marine vessel, in response the first vessel control signalthat corresponds to only a rotational thrust command. It is to beappreciated that this can be done with any of the embodiments andaspects disclosed herein.

Another embodiment of the disclosure further comprises inducing a nettranslational force to the marine vessel so that substantially no netrotational force is induced to the marine vessel in response to thefirst vessel control signal resulting from movement of a first vesselcontrol apparatus along two degrees of freedom and with a second vesselcontrol apparatus in a neutral position; and inducing a net force to themarine vessel, in response to the first vessel control signal,substantially in a same direction as a combination of movement of thefirst vessel control apparatus and the second vessel control apparatus,for all movements of the first vessel control apparatus along the twodegrees of freedom and for all movements of the second vessel controlapparatus along the third degree of freedom. It is to be appreciatedthat this can be done with any of the embodiments and aspects disclosedherein.

Another embodiment of the disclosure further comprises creating adifferential thrust between the first steerable drive and the secondsteerable drive so as to induce the net rotational thrust to the marinevessel, without substantially inducing any forward-reverse thrust ortransverse thrust to the marine vessel, in response the first vesselcontrol signal that corresponds to only a rotational thrust command. Itis to be appreciated that this can be done with any of the embodimentsand aspects disclosed herein.

Another embodiment of the disclosure further comprises providingopposite forces with the first and second steerable drives by providinga forward thrust with the first steerable drive and a reverse thrustwith the second steerable drive so as to create rotational forces on themarine vessel with substantially no translational forces on the marinevessel. It is to be appreciated that this can be done with any of theembodiments and aspects disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a top view of an outboard drive that can be used incombination with embodiments disclosed herein;

FIG. 1B illustrates a side view of the outboard drive of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C illustrates a rear view of the outboard drive of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1D illustrates a side view of the surface drive that can be used incombination with embodiments disclosed herein;

FIG. 1E illustrates a top view of an surface drive of FIG. 1D;

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate rear view and top view of a marine vessel havinga single outdrive;

FIGS. 2C-2D illustrate rear view and top view of a marine vessel havingdual outdrives and a tie-bar;

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate forces generated on the tie bar by the dualoutdrives of FIGS. 2A-2B;

FIGS. 4A-4B are exemplary maneuvering diagrams illustrating movementsthat can be accomplished with a marine vessel configured withapplicant's own joystick controller system and dual waterjets;

FIGS. 5A-5B are exemplary maneuvering diagrams illustrating movementsthat can be accomplished with a marine vessel configured withembodiments of this disclosure and dual outboard drives;

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate an embodiment of guards according to thisdisclosure that can be used with a marine vessel configured with dualoutboard drives;

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate an embodiment of a sliding bar according to thisdisclosure that can be used with a marine vessel configured with dualoutboard drives;

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate an embodiment of a variable length tie-baraccording to this disclosure that can be used with a marine vesselconfigured with dual outboard drives;

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a hydraulic locking system variablelength tie-bar according to this disclosure that can be used with amarine vessel configured with dual outboard drives;

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a hydraulic system that can be usedwith the hydraulic variable length tie-bar of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate an embodiment of a control system that canbe used with the hydraulic variable length tie-bar of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 illustrates various joystick control zones and movements;

FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment a control system and process for Zone1 of the joystick controller of FIG. 12, which can be used withsteerable propellers and a trolling gear;

FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment a control system and process for Zone2 of the joystick controller of FIG. 12, which can be used withsteerable propellers and a trolling gear;

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment a control system and process for Zone3 of the joystick controller of FIG. 12, which can be used withsteerable propellers and a trolling gear;

FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment a control system and process for Zone4 of the joystick controller of FIG. 12, which can be used withsteerable propellers and a trolling gear; and

FIG. 17 illustrates an embodiment a control system and process for Zone5 of the joystick controller of FIG. 12, which can be used withsteerable propellers and a trolling gear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Prior to a detailed discussion of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, it is useful to define certain terms that describe thegeometry of a marine vessel and associated propulsion and controlsystems. A marine vessel has a forward end called a bow and an aft endcalled a stern. A line connecting the bow and the stern defines an axishereinafter referred to the marine vessel's major axis. A vector alongthe major axis pointing along a direction from stern to bow is said tobe pointing in the ahead or forward direction. A vector along the majoraxis pointing in the opposite direction (180° away) from the aheaddirection is said to be pointing in the astern or reverse or backingdirection.

Any axis perpendicular to the major axis is referred to herein as a“minor axis.” A vessel has a plurality of minor axes, lying in a planeperpendicular to the major axis. Some marine vessels have propulsionsystems which primarily provide thrust only along the vessel's majoraxis, in the forward or backward directions. Other thrust directions,along the minor axes, are generated with awkward or inefficientauxiliary control surfaces, rudders, planes, deflectors, etc.

The axis perpendicular to the marine vessel's major axis and nominallyperpendicular to the surface of the water on which the marine vesselrests, is referred to herein as the vertical axis. The vector along thevertical axis pointing away from the water and towards the sky definesan up direction, while the oppositely-directed vector along the verticalaxis pointing from the sky towards the water defines the down direction.It is to be appreciated that the axes and directions, e.g. the verticalaxis and the up and down directions, described herein are referenced tothe marine vessel. In operation, the vessel experiences motion relativeto the water in which it travels. However, the present axes anddirections are not intended to be referenced to Earth or the watersurface.

The axis perpendicular to both the marine vessel's major axis and avertical axis is referred to as an athwartships axis. The directionpointing to the left of the marine vessel with respect to the aheaddirection is referred to as the port direction, while the oppositedirection, pointing to the right of the vessel with respect to theforward direction is referred to as the starboard direction. Theathwartships axis is also sometimes referred to as defining a transverseor “side-to-side” force, motion, or displacement. Note that theathwartships axis and the vertical axis are not unique, and that manyaxes parallel to said athwartships axis and vertical axis can bedefined.

The marine vessel may be moved forward or backwards along the majoraxes. This motion is usually a primary translational motion achieved byuse of the vessels propulsion systems when traversing the water asdescribed earlier. Other motions are possible, either by use of vesselcontrol systems or due to external forces such as wind and watercurrents. Rotational motion of the marine vessel about the athwartshipsaxis which alternately raises and lowers the bow and stern is referredto as pitch of the vessel. Rotation of the marine vessel about its majoraxis, alternately raising and lowering the port and starboard sides ofthe vessel is referred to as roll. Finally, rotation of the marinevessel about the vertical axis is referred to as yaw. An overallvertical displacement of the entire vessel 10 that moves the vessel upand down (e.g. due to waves) is called heave.

In view of the above discussion, and in view of other considerationsrelating to design and operation of marine vessels, it is desirable tohave a marine vessel control system which can provide forces in aplurality of directions, and which can control thrust forces in a safeand efficient manner. The present disclosure relates to marine vesselpropulsion and control systems and more particularly to methods anddevices for controlling and allowing marine vessel steering drives tomove freely with respect to each other but to also prevent such steeringdrives from contacting each other. The disclosure also relates to acontrol system and method configured to receive at least a first vesselcontrol signal corresponding to any of a rotational movement command, atranslational movement command, and a combination of a rotationalmovement and a translational movement commands, and configured togenerate at least a first steerable drive actuator control signal and asecond steerable drive actuator control signal to control the firststeerable drive and the second steerable drive to provide the fixeddistance between the first and second steerable drives and so as toindividually control the first steerable drive and the second steerabledrives and allow the so the first steerable drive and the secondsteerable drive to move relative to each other. The disclosure alsorelates to the control system and method also configured to induce a netforce to the marine vessel substantially in a direction of the firstvessel control signal that corresponds to a combination of atranslational thrust command and a rotational thrust command, for allcombinations of the rotational and translational thrust commands.

The disclosure is illustrated in connection with propulsion systemscomprising first and second steerable drives, particularly first andsecond outboard drives. However it is to be understood that some or allaspects of the present disclosure apply to systems using equivalent orsimilar components and arrangements, such as waterjet propulsion systemsand systems using various prime movers not specifically disclosedherein.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, there is illustrated an exemplarymaneuvering diagram as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,601,040 B2corresponding to a joystick control system disclosed in the U.S. Pat.No. 7,601,040 B2, that can be deployed on a waterjet-propelled craft. Aprimary challenge in achieving similar capability in marine craftequipped with steerable propellers and various other types of drives isthat the drives are decoupled, which present a high risk that thepropellers will contact each other and cause damage when controlling thesteerable drives individually.

Thus, there is a need for a system to enhance the performance of marinecraft fitted with multiple steerable propellers to eliminate the risk ofcontact of the propellers and that also provides for individual controlof the steerable drives. It is appreciated that the high-speed andlow-speed performance of a marine craft (planing type or otherwise)fitted with multiple steerable drives can be improved by decoupling thesteering control of each drive such that the steering function of eachdrive is independently controlled with a separate actuator. The variousembodiments of the system(s) disclosed herein facilitate individualcontrol of each steerable drive, thereby rendering a propulsion systemwith greater degrees of freedom and which can take full advantage of ajoystick maneuvering system or other means of control, whereby variableforce vectors can be developed. Such individual control and forcevectoring capability, not otherwise achievable when steerable drives aremechanically linked such that the drives remain substantially parallelto each other irrespective of the steering angle, enhances maneuveringperformance. The various embodiments of a system disclosed herein allowthe drives to move freely while preventing the drives from contactingeach other.

If the two or more drives are decoupled such that the steering angle ofeach drive can be controlled independently, many of the controlalgorithms and resulting features and advantages of the systems andmethods disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,052,338; 7,037,150; 7,216,599;7,222,577; 7,500,890’; 7,641,525; 7,601,040; 7,972,187; and publishedU.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/960,676; 12/753,089, which areherein incorporated by reference in their entirety, can be achieved. Inparticular, FIGS. 42 and 43 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,601,040 B2 shows a seriesof maneuvers that can be achieved by individually controlling integralnozzle/reversing bucket devices. As described in column 42 and shown inFIGS. 44-48 (example steerable propeller control algorithm) of the sameapplication, similar thrust vectoring results can be achieved by usingsteerable propellers instead of waterjets.

As an example, replacing the conventional tie bar with one of theembodiments disclosed herein enables a joystick system or otherelectronic control system to maneuver a dual steerable propeller drivencraft in accordance with the maneuvering diagram depicted in FIGS. 5Aand 5B, which illustrate the movements of the craft corresponding tovarious positions of the joystick and tiller (or steering wheel). Themaneuvering diagram depicted in FIGS. 5A and 5B reflects thecapabilities of a joystick control system with underlying controlalgorithms incorporating a trolling gear summarized in FIGS. 12-17. Toaid in disclosing the control algorithms with trolling gearfunctionality included, FIG. 12 defines five control zones (1-5) interms of joystick position, and FIGS. 13-17 present the steerablepropeller control algorithm signal diagram for Zones 1-5, respectively.

One problem with decoupling the steering control of drives located inclose proximity to each other is the potential for the drives to collideand interfere with one another. While the electronic control system can,in principle, be configured to prevent a collision under normaloperating conditions, the risk that the drives will collide becomesunacceptable in the event that the control system malfunctions or one orboth of the drives is manually overridden. For this reason, a tie-bar istypically installed.

A solution to the problem of preventing colliding of adjacent driveswhile providing freedom to independently steer the drives is to installa device that allows the drives to move freely while preventing theclearance between the drives from dropping below a certain minimumvalue. One embodiment comprises a mechanical guard or bumper installedon one or multiple drives such that the guard(s) make contact when acertain minimum clearance is attained, thereby preventing any sensitivecomponents, such as the propeller, from making contact. The guards wouldbe designed to take the full force of the actuating system withoutharming any part of the drive. An example of this type of arrangement isillustrated in FIG. 6A (drives parallel) and FIG. 6B (drives positionedinward), in which port bumper guard 602 and starboard bumper guard 603is mounted to port drive 205 and starboard drive 206, respectively. Itis to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, andimprovements of the example shown in FIGS. 6A-B will occur to thoseskilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvementsare intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be withinthe scope of the system disclosed herein.

Another embodiment comprises a sliding apparatus located in between andattached to adjacent drives and incorporating a mechanical stop toprevent the clearance between the drives from dropping below a certainvalue. The device may consist of two or more members (which may or maynot be connected) that are allowed to move or rotate with respect toeach other, and which incorporates one or more mechanical stops toprevent the clearance between propellers and other critical componentsfrom dropping below a certain value. One embodiment consists oftelescoping concentric tubes installed between adjacent drives, whichare attached to each end of the sliding apparatus by means of aconnection such as a pin or ball joint. A mechanical stop built into thesliding apparatus prevents the clearance between adjacent drives fromdropping below a certain value. Another embodiment comprises a slidingbar arrangement consisting of an assembly of two or more parallel barsthat are permitted to slide relative to one another. A schematic exampleof this type of system can be seen in FIG. 7A (drives parallel) and FIG.7B (drives positioned inward), in which sliding bar assembly 701comprises rod 702 and tube 703, port attachment (joint) 704 andstarboard attachment (joint) 705. Yet another embodiment consists of twomembers flexibly joined together to allow rotation with respect to eachother, with the free end of each member flexibly joined to a drive,wherein relative rotation of the two members results in varyingdistances between the two free ends; a means to limit the relativerotation, such as a mechanical stop, would be provided to prevent theclearance between drives from dropping below a certain value. Variationsof these implementations include but are not limited to thoseincorporating alternate means of attachment, for example, a compoundclevis (allowing two rotational degrees freedom) or a ball joint(allowing three rotational degrees of freedom). Other variations ofthese implementations include but are not limited to those incorporatingalternate means of achieving variable distance between the drives, forexample, a hydraulic cylinder deployed in any number of ways tofacilitate the functionality described above. It is to be appreciatedthat various alterations, modifications, and improvements of the exampleshown in FIGS. 7A-B and embodiments described herein will occur to thoseskilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvementsare intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be withinthe scope of the system disclosed herein.

In the typical surface-drive or ventilating propeller application, thepropellers can be partially submerged for varying amounts of time,during which time the propellers develop substantial lateral(athwartships) and vertical forces. In most of these kinds ofmultiple-drive installations, the rotation of at least two of thepropellers opposes each other. When a tie bar is used in theseinstallations, a substantial net force is exerted on the tie-bar(tension if outboard rotation, compression if inboard rotation) due tothe substantially equal and opposite lateral forces generated by thepropellers. By virtue of the tie-bar connection, the lateral forcetransferred to the hull by an individual drive is minimized, and thesteering cylinder(s) is not subjected to significant load associatedwith the lateral force component of the partially submerged propellers.

On account of the lateral forces induced by the surface propeller(discussed above), removing the tie-bar that would otherwise nullify thelateral forces will necessitate the individual steering cylinders tocounter the forces of each individual drive. In such an arrangement, themechanical loading of the steering cylinders will likely be increasedsubstantially, and in many cases, the standard mechanical and hydrauliccomponents that are normally equipped with the drive will beinadequately sized to counter the load in a steady and/or dynamiccondition. In these cases it would be useful to have a variable-lengthor variable-geometry tie-bar that is locked in conditions when thelateral force on an individual propeller is substantial and unlocked(such that the drives could be controlled individually) when it isdesirable to move the drives relative to each other. Such an “adaptive”tie-bar could have a locking means that is mechanical (controlled via alinkage), hydraulic (controlled using a mechanical or electric valve),or electric (clutch, motor, etc.), or a combination of these methods.The adaptive (or variable-geometry lockable) tie-bar described above mayor may not incorporate a mechanical stop for the purpose of limiting theclearance between adjacent drives.

One example of a locking tie-bar implementation is the system shown inFIG. 9, where the conventional tie-bar is replaced with a hydrauliccylinder 902 operating in a passive mode, i.e., no hydraulic pump isutilized. The ends of hydraulic cylinder 902 are fitted with portattachment (joint) 913 and starboard attachment (joint) 914. When thehydraulic fluid is confined to the cylinder 902 by means of controlvalve 905 (shown in FIG. 9) in the locked position, the hydraulic lockcauses cylinder 902 to behave in the manner of a conventional tie-bar,whereby drives 901 and 910 are maintained in a fixed relationshiprelative to each other. When one or both drives are to be moved relativeto the other, for example, when performing maneuvers such as illustratedin FIG. 5A, the hydraulic fluid is permitted to move from one side ofthe piston in cylinder 902 to the other side by actuating control valve905 such that fluid is allowed to move freely between Ports P and A andPorts T and B, with any excess (make-up) fluid channeled to (from)reservoir 906, depending on the direction of stroke. Depending on theimplementation of the control system, control valve 905 may beconfigured so that it is in the closed or open position when actuated.It is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, andimprovements of the example shown in FIG. 9 will occur to those skilledin the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements areintended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be within thescope of the system disclosed herein.

As discussed above, the forces that may be encountered when thepropeller is partially submerged can be quite substantial, potentiallycausing some difficulty creating the forces to move the drives when thetie-bar is unlocked. In these cases it may be advantageous to deploy adevice or some means to create tension and/or compression forces withinor in place of the tie-bar apparatus. Such a device could reduce theforces that are imposed on the individual steering cylinders, due to thefact that the applied force vector is substantially orthogonal to thedrive axis. Any of the “adaptive” tie-bar designs discussed above(mechanical, hydraulic, electric, etc.) can be combined with a means todevelop tension and or compression forces to create an “active” tie-bardevice. The active (or actuating) tie-bar described above may or may notincorporate a mechanical stop for the purpose of limiting the clearancebetween adjacent drives.

One example of an active tie-bar implementation utilizes similaroutboard components (i.e., those external to the hull) as used in theexample locking tie-bar implementation (shown in FIG. 9 and also asshown in FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C). However, the hydraulic system for theactive tie-bar system will differ from that of the locking tie-barsystem in that the hydraulic system for the active tie-bar systemenables the active extension and retraction of active tie-bar 1001. Forexample, the hydraulic schematic for one embodiment of the activetie-bar system is shown in FIG. 10, which depicts hydraulic cylinder1001 linking port drive 1014 and starboard drive 1015. The ends ofhydraulic cylinder 1001 are fitted with port attachment (joint) 1016 andstarboard attachment (joint) 1017. In this particular implementation, inthe locked state the hydraulic fluid is locked in the cylinder by meansof counterbalance valves 1006, and the tie-bar arrangement behavessimilar to a conventional tie-bar, whereby the port and starboard drivesare maintained in a fixed relationship relative to each other. When oneor both drives are to be moved relative to the other, pressurized fluidis delivered by pump 1011 and/or 1013 to one side of the piston incylinder 1001 via port steering valve 1008 and/or starboard steeringvalve 1009, as the case may be, while fluid on the other side of thepiston is allowed to escape back to reservoir 1012.

The hydraulic system shown in FIG. 10 is one example of how anelectro-hydraulic control system could be adapted to integrate the useof an active electro-hydraulic tie-bar system. In the example shown inFIG. 10, the working ports (A & B) of steering valves 1008 and 1009 arealso connected to the Hydraulic-Actuator Tie-Bar (in addition to thesteering actuators) through two dedicated sets of counterbalance valves1006. The cylinder-side ports (A3 & B3 for STBD and A4 & B4 for PORT) ofthe dedicated tie-bar counterbalance valves are then ported to thetie-bar actuator such that actuating a single steering actuator (port orstarboard) via the respective steering valve will also actuate theHydraulic-Actuator Tie-Bar in the correct direction and not affect thesteering actuator that is not being actuated. The circuit in FIG. 10will also allow both steering valves and corresponding actuators to beactuated simultaneously. The circuit illustrated in FIG. 10 is oneexample of a hydraulic circuit designed to actuate the active tie-barsystem. It is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications,and improvements of the example shown in FIGS. 8A-C and FIG. 10 willoccur to those skilled in the art. For example, other embodiments of theactive tie-bar may incorporate any device that can generate a suitableforce, including but not limited to hydraulic cylinders,electrically-actuated power screws, pneumatic actuators,electromechanical devices, geared mechanisms, etc., and it is understoodthat any number of configurations within a given class of actuator maybe adopted. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements areintended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be within thescope of the system disclosed herein. One skilled in the art can modifythe circuit in numerous ways, for example, by incorporating differenttypes of valves and porting to perform the same function.

By way of example, FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate one embodiment of asystem diagram for the device and embodiments thereof described herein.

One system and method of implementing a joystick control algorithm for adual-drive system is to separate the control algorithms into fiveseparate control zones as shown in FIG. 12, which are illustrated inmore detail in FIGS. 13-17. By separating the algorithms into distinctzones, the difference in response characteristics of the steerabledrive, for example between ahead and reverse thrust, can be compensatedfor by applying a different set of curves for the respective zones. Oneembodiment of such a system splits the control algorithms into fivedifferent zones that relate to the direction of applied nettranslational thrust: Port Thrust, Starboard Thrust, Zero Thrust(rotation only), Ahead Thrust Only (i.e., no side or reverse thrust) andAstern Thrust Only, as shown in FIG. 12. It is, of course, possible toutilize more or less than five zones, depending on the specificimplementation of algorithms and function modules. However, theunderlying goal is to create a system that compensates for thediscontinuities in the force and motion created by the combination ofpropulsion devices, including characteristics of transmission gear andassociated trolling gear (if available), in response to command oractuator inputs, for example, by changing the steering position mappingto steering wheel inputs when transitioning from ahead thrust (Zone 4)to astern thrust (Zone 5).

FIGS. 13-17 contain example algorithms for Zones 1-5 respectively.Because the effects of the propeller thrust contribute to the nettranslation and rotational thrust in different ways depending on thedirection of net translational thrust (zone), each zone has a dedicatedalgorithm such that the controller automatically updates the algorithmwhen transitioning from one zone to another. Each zone-specificalgorithm contains a different mapping that relates the control devices(e.g., joystick and steering wheel) to the propulsion devices (e.g.,steerable drive, transmission gear and associated trolling gear, engineRPM). For example, when thrusting ahead with no side thrust (Zone 4,FIG. 16), modules 1656 and 1657 turn the drives in the starboarddirection when the helm is turned to starboard (CW). In contrast, whenthrusting astern with no side thrust (Zone 5, FIG. 17), modules 1750 and1751 turn both drives to port when the helm is turned to starboard (CW).

FIG. 5A contains a maneuvering diagram (or Net Thrust Diagram) thatillustrates a plurality of thrust forces for a plurality of controllerconditions, that are provided to a vessel configured with the hereindescribed embodiment of a system and that is equipped with two steerabledrives. For example, the resulting forces imparted to the vessel for astarboard turn when thrusting ahead is shown as maneuver C. In addition,the resulting forces imparted to the vessel where the steering wheel isturned to starboard and while the craft is reversing is shown asmaneuver O. By comparing maneuvers C and O, one can see that in order tomaintain a clockwise rotation (bow moving in the starboard direction) ascommanded by the steering wheel (or steering tiller), the drives must bepointing in the starboard direction when thrusting ahead and in the portdirection when thrusting astern.

Referring again to FIG. 5A, the response of a vessel configuredaccording to the herein described embodiment of a system and equippedwith dual steerable propellers to CCW rotations of the wheel or tilleris shown in maneuvers A (thrusting ahead) and M (thrusting astern),respectively. It is to be appreciated that the movements of the drivesare similar to the CW turning maneuver; however, the drives turn inopposite directions, as shown in modules 1656 and 1657 for Zone 4 andmodules 1750 and 1751 for Zone 5.

Another example of control/propulsion device mapping to be considered isthe case where there is no net translational thrust (i.e., onlyrotational thrust, Zone 3). A vessel equipped with dual steerable drivesis not able to develop a turning moment by rotating the drives while atneutral thrust. Consequently, a special algorithm or mapping for theindividual drives when no translational thrust is commanded such thatthe drives can operate independently to develop the turning moment. FIG.15 shows a signal diagram for Zone 3 of the herein described embodimentof a system. It is to be appreciated that since the condition for Zone 3is zero translational thrust, the joystick inputs have been omitted fromthe diagram for simplification.

To operate in Zone 3, a control scheme must be implemented where thedrives are operated differentially, where one drive is generating aheadthrust and the other is generating astern thrust in order to impartlittle or no net translational thrust to the craft. FIG. 15 illustratesan effective method for developing rotational thrust with little or notranslational thrust. Taking for example maneuver F shown in FIG. 5A,the wheel is turned to starboard while the joystick is centered. With atrolling gear on the transmission, Module 1541 (FIG. 15) progressivelyincreases the port gear setting to achieve progressively increasingpropeller speed in the ahead direction, while module 1544 progressivelyincreases the starboard gear setting to achieve progressively increasingpropeller speed in the astern direction creating a force couple (moment)without creating a substantial net translational thrust. Since theamount of turning force created by the differential thrust of the drivesis limited while the drive steering positions are maintained in aparallel orientation at zero steer angle, additional turning of thewheel will progressively turn the port drive in the starboard direction(module 1542) and the starboard drive in the port direction (module1545). Increasingly toeing-in (pointing) the drives will increase themoment arm of the resultant force created by the two drivessignificantly while applying a relatively small side force. In additionto actuating the propeller shaft speed differentially and toeing in thedrives, modules 1540 and 1543 progressively increase engine RPM once thewheel or tiller is moved beyond a threshold point. Thus according tothis embodiment of the system disclosed herein, the system providesrotation forces with little or no translation forces by progressivelypointing in the steerable propellers and/or applying a differential RPMto the drives as a function of wheel or tiller rotation. However, it isto be understood that the exact combination of trolling gear settings,steering angle movements, and engine RPM levels shown in the embodimentin FIG. 5A is not required to achieve the same or similar results. Forexample, the engine RPM can be increased at different points in themapping or not at all with varying levels of effectiveness. In addition,the extent of toeing in the drives can be changed or eliminated, alsowith varying levels of effectiveness.

Vessels equipped with steerable propellers are able to inducecombinations of transverse and rotational thrusts that will allow thecraft to translate sideways while at the same time apply varying amountsof rotational thrust. As another example, referring to Zone 1 (thrustingto port) in FIG. 5A, an example maneuver in which a transverse thrust isapplied to the craft without a rotational thrust is identified asmaneuver H. The required actuation of the trolling gear, steering anglesand engine RPM to achieve maneuver H can be determined from the controldiagram of FIG. 13.

Let us first consider the case of maneuver H where the craft istranslating sideways with little or no forward or reverse thrust. Inthis case, the initial condition is maneuver E (Zone 3), in which thejoystick is centered (neutral X and neutral Y) and the steering wheel iscentered; in this condition, both transmissions will be set to neutral,in accordance with the signals created by the joystick and transmittedto modules 1300 and 1303. As the X-axis signal is increased beyond thethreshold that transitions from Zone 3 to Zone 1, the port drivesteering angle is positioned (by module 1302) in a discrete position inthe port direction and the starboard steering angle is positioned (bymodule 1305) in a discrete position in the starboard direction. Therespective positions of the port and starboard drives correspond to theequilibrium point where translational thrust can be applied in anydirection without inducing a substantial rotational or yawing force.These positions usually correspond to angles where both drives arepointed along respective center lines that intersect at or near thecenter of rotation of the craft. Drives that are positioned in thismanner are sometimes referred to as being in a toe-out configuration. Aslong as the steering wheel remains in a neutral position thatcorresponds to no rotational thrust, both drives will remain in theserespective discrete positions.

As illustrated by modules 1300 and 1301, progressively moving thejoystick to increase the magnitude of net transverse thrust in the portdirection will increase the trolling gear setting (increase in frictionlevel) in the astern direction and increase the RPM of the port engine(not necessarily together), thereby increasing the reverse thrust of theport drive. At the same time, moving the joystick to port will increasethe trolling gear setting in the ahead direction and increase the RPM ofthe starboard engine, thereby increasing the ahead thrust of thestarboard drive. As long as the joystick is moved along the X-axis only(i.e., neutral Y position), the reversing thrust of the port drive andthe ahead thrust of the starboard drive will remain substantially equalin magnitude so as to induce a net transverse thrust without imparting anet forward or reverse thrust.

Adding a rotational thrust in the port or counter-clockwise direction(maneuver G of FIG. 5A) is achieved by rotating the steering wheel inthe counter-clockwise direction. As indicated by modules 1310 and 1311,moving the steering wheel to port (CCW) will move the port drive in thestarboard direction and the starboard drive in the port direction. Thisis achieved by creating an additional starboard movement with module1310 for the port drive based on the magnitude of the wheel rotation andadding it to the discrete position output from module 1302 at summingmodule 1316. Similarly, an additional port movement is added to thestarboard drive by module 1311 and summed with the discrete output ofmodule 1305 at summing module 1317. So as not to create a situationwhere the drives are allowed to move to a point beyond the neutralposition such that the direction of translational thrust differssubstantially from the joystick movement, absolute limits are placed onthe steering movements with module 1318 for the port drive and module1319 for the starboard drive. Module 1318 will not allow the port driveto move to the starboard side of neutral (straight ahead) and module1319 will not allow the starboard drive to move to the port side ofneutral. It is to be appreciated, however, that for cases in which thereis not enough rotational thrust available in one direction as providedby the system described herein, the limits set by modules 1318 and 1319can be extended.

It is to be understood that the magnitude of the steering angles of theport and starboard drives in response to steering wheel movements neednot be the same, provided there are minimal changes in translationalthrust resulting from movements of the steering wheel or tiller. Theoptimum amounts of steering angle movement for each drive in response tosteering commands depends heavily on the hydrodynamics of the craftduring side thrusting operations as well as the hull-propellerinteractions for each drive. These points can be estimated withapplication-specific modeling or determined during a sea trial.

It is understood that Zone 2 of FIG. 5A is substantially a minor imageof Zone 1, and therefore the corresponding modules of FIG. 14 and theresulting maneuvers J, K and L illustrated in FIG. 5A will not bediscussed in detail here, for the sake of brevity.

As shown in FIG. 12, Zones 1 and 2 cover all movements of the joystickto the respective side of neutral (with respect to transverse thrust).Accordingly, the control algorithms described in FIG. 13 for Zone 1 andFIG. 14 for Zone 2 also are configured to add varying levels of aheadand astern thrust in response to joystick movements along the Y axis inorder to respond to diagonal translational thrust commands from thejoystick. For example, referring now to FIG. 5B, which illustratesmovements of a vessel configured with the control system of oneembodiment of the invention and equipped with dual steerable propellers,maneuver Q can be achieved by maintaining the steering wheel at aneutral position such that modules 1310 and 1311 (of FIG. 13) do notcontribute additional steering movements to the summation modules (1316,1317) and by moving the joystick forward in addition to the portdirection. As the joystick is moved forward along the Y axis, module1306 of FIG. 13 progressively decreases the port engine RPM and module1308 progressively increases the starboard engine RPM, therebydecreasing the astern thrust of the port drive and increasing the aheadthrust of the starboard drive. This maneuver is illustrated as maneuverQ in FIG. 5B, by schematically indicating the reduction of thrust in theport drive and the increase in thrust of the starboard drive.

In a similar fashion as maneuvers G and I illustrated in FIG. 5B, arotational thrust to port (CCW) can be added by turning the wheelcounter clockwise, thereby moving the drives towards the center as shownin maneuver P of FIG. 5B. Similarly, a clockwise rotational thrust canbe achieved by turning the wheel to starboard which will move the drivesaway from the center, as shown in maneuver R (FIG. 5B).

Like the forward diagonal movements of maneuvers Q and R in FIG. 5B,reverse diagonal thrust can be developed by moving the joystick backwardalong the Y axis. For example, by maintaining the steering wheel andmoving the joystick backwards, module 1306 increases the astern thrustof the port drive and module 1308 decreases the ahead thrust of thestarboard drive. This diagonal backwards and to port maneuver isillustrated as maneuver T of FIG. 5B. In a similar fashion as maneuversG and I, a rotational thrust to port (CCW) can be added by turning thewheel counter clockwise, thereby moving the drives towards the center asshown in maneuver S of FIG. 5B. Similarly, a clockwise rotational thrustcan be achieved by turning the wheel to starboard which will move thedrives away from the center (i.e., drives splayed), as shown in maneuverU of FIG. 5B.

It is understood that Zone 2 of FIG. 5A is substantially a minor imageof Zone 1, and therefore the corresponding modules of FIG. 14 will notbe discussed in detail here for the sake of brevity.

It is to be understood that the summation modules herein described andillustrated can sum the various signals in different ways. For example,different signals may have different weights in the summation orselected signals may be left out of the summation under certainconditions. It is also the function of the summation module to clamp(limit) output signals that would otherwise exceed maximum values.

It is to be understood also that the port trolling gear moduleillustrated in FIGS. 13-17, according to the herein described embodimentof a system equipped with two steerable propellers, can be separatedinto two distinct modules to handle direction and friction level,respectively, for the port transmission. It is understood that theforegoing statement applies to the starboard trolling gear module.

Having described various embodiments of a marine vessel control systemand method herein, it is to be appreciated that the concepts presentedherein may be extended to systems having any number of control surfaceactuators and propulsors and is not limited to the embodiments presentedherein. Modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the artand are meant to be encompassed by the scope of the present descriptionand accompanying claims. It is, therefore, to be understood that theappended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changesas fall within the range of equivalents and disclosure herein.

What is claimed is: 1-50. (canceled)
 51. An apparatus, comprising: amechanical device configured to be coupled to a first drive and a seconddrive of a watercraft, the mechanical device being configured to allowthe first drive and the second drive to move freely and to prevent thefirst drive from contacting the second drive.
 52. The apparatus of claim51, wherein the mechanical device comprises a bumper.
 53. The apparatusof claim 52, wherein the bumper is attached to the first drive, andwherein the mechanical device further comprises a second bumper attachedto the second drive, and wherein the bumper and the second bumper arearranged to contact one another when the first drive and the seconddrive are within a threshold distance of one another.
 54. The apparatusof claim 51, wherein the mechanical device comprises a bar.
 55. Theapparatus of claim 52, wherein the mechanical device is configured toallow the first drive and the second drive to be individually steered.56. An apparatus, comprising: a mechanical device configured to becoupled to a first drive and a second drive of a watercraft, themechanical device being configured to adjustably hold the first andsecond drive a fixed distance apart in response to a tie-bar controlsignal generated in response to any one of a rotational movementcommand, a translational movement command, and a combination of arotational movement command and a translational movement command. 57.The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the mechanical device is configuredto prevent the first drive from contacting the second drive.
 58. Theapparatus of claim 56, wherein the mechanical device is configured tolock and unlock, and wherein the mechanical device holds the first andsecond drive the fixed distance apart when the mechanical device islocked.
 59. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the mechanical devicecomprising a hydraulic cylinder.
 60. The apparatus of claim 56, whereinthe mechanical device is configured to generate a force between thefirst drive and the second drive.
 61. The apparatus of claim 60, whereinthe mechanical device comprises an actuating tie-bar external to a hullof the watercraft.
 62. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein the actuatingtie-bar is configured to adjustably hold the first and second driveapart any distance in a range of distances.
 63. An apparatus,comprising: a mechanical device configured to be coupled to a firstdrive and a second drive of a watercraft, the mechanical devicecomprising an actuating tie-bar external to a hull of the watercraft andconfigured to generate a force between the first drive and the seconddrive.
 64. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the mechanical device isconfigured to prevent the first drive from contacting the second drive.65. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the mechanical device isconfigured to adjustably hold the first and second drive a fixeddistance apart.
 66. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the mechanicaldevice is configured to lock and unlock, wherein the mechanical deviceholds the first and second drive the fixed distance apart when themechanical device is locked.
 67. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein theactuating tie-bar is configured to adjustably hold the first and seconddrive apart any distance in a range of distances.